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In our American society, we are often painted the picture that poverty only occurs under certain circumstances. Some turned to drugs, committed a crime, or were just born unlucky. I believed, just like our society, that these were the root causes of what drove someone into poverty. I soon however, found out that the problem was structured over my head this entire time. In the book Evicted, by Matthew Desmond, Desmond explains the widespread problem of eviction across our nation,“Jackson County, Missouri, which includes half of Kansas City, saw 19 formal evictions each day between 2009 and 2013. New York City courts saw almost 80 nonpayment evictions a day in 2012.” Eviction is a major artery that feeds our welfare system, makes households
According to a 1997 report of the National Coalition for the Homeless, “nearly one-fifth of all homeless people are employed in full or part-time jobs”. In the book Nickel and Dimed, On Not Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author goes undercover in order to investigate and experience first-hand how life is for America’s “working poor”. The “working poor” are defined as individuals who have a full-time job, sometimes more than one, but still cannot afford the basics of shelter, food and adequate healthcare. As one can imagine, this led to many public health concerns. In each of the three locations visited, Ehrenreich realizes that for many, “getting by” in America can sometimes be a daunting task.
In the Pulitzer prize-winning novel Evicted, sociologist Matthew Desmond follows eight families as he exposes how the lack of affordable housing perpetuates a state of poverty. He even goes so far as to assert that it is eviction that is a cause of poverty, not the other way around (Desmond 229). While this latter argument is as engrossing and it is striking, analyzing it with justice is simply not possible within the scope of this paper. Nevertheless, it is these two factors—inescapable poverty and eviction—that engender an unrelenting condition of financial, emotional, and communal instability, effectively hindering any chance of upward mobility.
Edelman, Peter. "Poverty in America: Why Can't We End It?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 July 2012. Web. 15 May 2014.
The urban removal of citizens without warning and without compensation is a major problem in Rio and numerous of Brazil’s other cities. Living in close proximity highly valued land and the fact that these communities often lack the organization to defend themselves legally, the evictions target the poorest members of Brazil’s society. Numerous media outlets have covered these stories over the last couple years, with similar scenarios happening throughout.
developing effective policy interventions. In understanding that black women experience the highest eviction, we can look at the historical and sociological reasons black women have always been a part of a disadvantaged group. One weakness of Desmond’s research is even though the data shows that black women are overrepresented in eviction records in proportion to their representation in the general population, there was no direct connection that it was the sole reason black women were evicted.
Most Americans are unaware of the problems of the poor, it is hard to imagine the challenges of poverty, the daily fears of victimization or the frustration of not being able to provide for a child. These central ideas along with many others have plagued the United States’ economy for most of its history. What do we do with the poor? Who are they and what can we do to help them? Well the answer is a mix between individuality with a strong relativity to the central government. It is here that we find our argument and it is here that we find ourselves at bay with many sensitive subjects. I believe that it is the government’s responsibility to provide for the nation, but it is up to the individual whom is given to, to make a difference with what is given to them. With such problems as minimum wage, unemployment and little to no affordable housing it is hard for the poverty stricken individual to gain some if any ground at all in their quest to rise up out of the bonds of destitution. There needs to be a “battle plan” if you will to attack this issue of poverty head on. It is here that my plan comes into effect. Many propose simply giving them some sort of aid in food or money and being done with it, what I propose is that you give a little and they take it much further than what was originally thought possible. It is not simply the act of supporting them for the rest of their lives, it is the act of providing a strong foundation for which they can build upon. An outstanding quote from a man by the name of William McDonough states (chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York), “Issues of equity and social cohesion are issues that affect the very temperament of the country. We are forced to face the question of whether we will be able to go forward together as a unified society with a confident outlook or as a society of diverse economic groups suspicious of both the future and each other.”(Collins, Leondar and Sklar 280)
Some effects of poverty are not easily understood, and are therefore sometimes mistakenly considered the cause of poverty. For example, studies link poverty to crime. In many cases, most crime leads to poverty and not the other way around. Crime indirectly increases poverty in many ways, even simple burglary or mugging. A high crime rate drives businesses out of neighborhoods. This eliminates both availability of products and services, as well as sources of jobs. Further, those who do stay find it necessary to charge higher prices to compensate for losses due to thievery, and hig...
In The Working Poor: Invisible in America, David K. Shipler tells the story of a handful of people he has interviewed and followed through their struggles with poverty over the course of six years. David Shipler is an accomplished writer and consultant on social issues. His knowledge, experience, and extensive field work is authoritative and trustworthy. Shipler describes a vicious cycle of low paying jobs, health issues, abuse, addiction, and other factors that all combine to create a mountain of adversity that is virtually impossible to overcome. The American dream and promise of prosperity through hard work fails to deliver to the 35 million people in America who make up the working poor. Since there is neither one problem nor one solution to poverty, Shipler connects all of the issues together to show how they escalate each other. Poor children are abused, drugs and gangs run rampant in the poor neighborhoods, low wage dead end jobs, immigrants are exploited, high interest loans and credit cards entice people in times of crisis and unhealthy diets and lack of health care cause a multitude of problems. The only way that we can begin to see positive change is through a community approach joining the poverty stricken individuals, community, businesses, and government to band together to make a commitment to improve all areas that need help.
Instead, they exacerbate the problem,” which is exactly true. One of the main reasons for homelessness is an economic crisis. During the recession of 2008 many cities saw an increase in the number of homeless individuals, with over 300,000 people being evicted (City Mayors). According to City Mayors, during the recession, of twenty-five cities being studied, nineteen of them had a rise in the numbers of homeless. The issue with sudden increases is that the cities have no way to handle the new influx of people. In 2011, the poverty rate for the United State was at 15%, meaning there were over 46 million people in poverty (National Homeless). While being in poverty does not mean that the person is going to become homeless, it greatly increases the chances of becoming homeless in the future, because any unexpected incident could push them over the edge. When people get pushed to this extreme, housing costs are often the first major things to be cut out of the budget, forcing an even greater number out onto the
It’s shown satirically on television, made fun of in music, and joked about in day-to-day activities: being homeless. I don’t understand what’s so funny about being homeless. The struggle to stay alive in an uninviting climate with nothing but the clothes on your back, doesn’t seem very fun. Yet in the media, being homeless is still treated like a joke. In the essay “Homeless” by Anna Quindlen, the reader is shown what it truly means to be without a home. My view on the struggles that homeless people have to endure is very similar to that of Quindlen’s in her essay, which perfectly captured the reality of what it is like to be without a home, and what it truly means to be homeless; while simultaneously demonstrating to me the negative effect
Americans in poverty tend to become stuck working for someone else and can’t get out of it. Eitzen writes that one of the serious consequences interpreting social problems within a person-blame framework is it, “Frees the government, the economy, the system of stratification, the system of justice, and the educational system from any blame” (Social Problems 14). As competition increases the prices go down for the people. In her book Unequal Childhood’s, Annette Lareau studied working-class, and middle-class families. Lareau claimed that children living in poverty have a higher chance of not succeeding mostly because their parents are more committed to “natural growth” than “concerted cultivation”(Lareau
In 1987, the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act was put into law. (Burger, 68-83) However, our government has moved away from the need to address the causes of homelessness. Instead our government has focused on the individual responsibility of those who become homeless, blaming their misfortune as their own fault. (Baum, 5-9) It is this belief that has helped to increase the homelessness of our nation, and it is this belief that will continue to do so if our government does not take a closer and more realistic look at the causes behind homelessness in our nation. Unless our government commits to ending homelessness through public education, policy advocacy, and technical assistance, homelessness will become a national disaster for the United States. Right now our government is not doing all it can towards putting into place the necessary solutions to combat homelessness. Who are/where the homeless people are many of the homeless have completed high school. Some have completed college. Some are AIDS victims, many are the elderly, many are children, some are disabled vets, some are illegal immigrants, and many of the homeless hold down full-time jobs. (Berger) They are found not only in cities, but in small towns, rural areas, and affluent suburbs. (Christian). Some even make up the “hidden homeless” (Christian), or people who are one crisis away from losing their homes for a variety of reasons, such as sudden medial emergency or unforeseen h...
For instance, drug addiction is often a contributing factor to why people end up on the streets because it ruins the individual's source of income because rather than spending money on basic necessities to survive, they dwindle their money away on buying drugs therefore, losing their homes and jobs. Presently, the most common factor in homelessness is poverty because there is a lack of jobs in the type of work that an individual may be able to do plus minimum wages at low-paying jobs that these individuals may hold. Homelessness doesn’t just affect individuals, but families as well. According to Peter Katel, Leida Ortiz, was a single mother living in Worcester, Massachusetts with her two children and sister. Ortiz’s father was a factory worker and was diagnosed with stomach cancer, so Leida Ortiz and her children went to live with Leida’s mother to help care for her father. She tried to move back to her sister’s house, but that didn’t work out and decided to live with a roommate. However, that took a drastic turn when her roommate kicked Leida Ortiz and her two children out since she couldn’t pay the $400 in rent each month and deserted to living on the streets out of bags not knowing where they would end up (Katel). Thus, even normal families are victims of homelessness and become victims not by choice but by a chain of events that led to being homeless. According to Peter Katel, “Whatever the case, housing advocates are united in the belief that government action can eliminate homelessness once and for all. Conservatives tend to be more skeptical, though ideology isn't a reliable guide to views on homelessness. One would agree that the American government needs to take immediate action to eliminate homelessness in the United States for the homeless as a
The famous Aristotle once said, “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime”. This country has “classes” and being in poverty is a major fear anyone would have when living in any country but especially in the United States. Currently, the economy is in bad shape and, because of this, the cost of living is extremely high; thus it is hard to survive or make a living in this country if you come from poverty. It is the parent of revolution because it has been an ongoing issue for sometime now and has become a cycle which causes crime because people steal in order to fin for themselves, although it is not easy to get away from poverty it is not impossible to achieve. Recently, I read Loretta Schwartz-Nobel’s Article “America’s Wandering Families”,
Even today in 2016 the poverty rates are mainly filled by minorities, and the largest numbers come from African Americans, and Latinos. When I personally think of a poor person, I see a minority who has been born into a low income neighborhood and works a low end job that requires little to no education. I believe that this mental depiction comes from the data representations, and not racial bias. Through the first eight weeks of this class, I have learned that the average ideas and attitudes towards poor people are not correct. While it is possible for a person to be poor because they are lazy and have made poor life decisions, the truth is that our society and the social class a person is born into plays the biggest part in determining whether or not a person will be poor in America. The opportunities and influences in life that a person receives are greatly impacted by the family that the person belongs to. These opportunities begin early and include the financial status of the family, security of neighborhood, involvement of parents, and quality of school and education. Education in rural areas